‘Overwhelmed’ Wuhan hospitals deal with ‘2,000 children every day’ amid thriller virus outbreak
New footage from inside hospitals in Wuhan, China, display worrying scenes as families are turned away and put on IV drips while stood in waiting rooms due to a huge virus outbreak
The outbreak of the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in China has caused huge overcrowding in hospitals as Wuhan medical centres are said to be admitting up to 2,000 kids a day.
China have been dealing with a big outbreak of the virus, with medical facilities said to be pushed to breaking point, mirroring the outbreak of Covid in 2019. While medical professionals in the West claim there is no threat to the UK as of yet, they are closely “monitoring” the situation to see if it spreads even further.
While the country have been supposedly “downplaying” the current situation, new footage emerging from Wuhan – the province that hosted the Covid outbreak – shows parents desperately trying to help their children. In busy waiting rooms, patients are clearly unwell while trying to get beds which are at “full capacity.”
In the footage, one parent showed the process of trying to get their child seen. Their given ticket exceeded 1,000, and they filmed the waiting room which contained several people connected to IV drips while waiting around unable to get a seat or even move.
The mother took down her mask and said: “all beds in outpatient, emergency and inpatient observation units were fully occupied. Emergency departments are reportedly treating 1,500 to 2,000 children daily.
“Many of whom are battling co-infections such as norovirus. Few children have a single infection and many develop severe pneuomia within three days.”
Other doctors warn this wave of illness has “taken away so many children.” Currently, there are around 13.74 million people living in Wuhan, with many feeling the affects of HMPV.
The illness presents with symptoms like the common cold. Although it can lead to upper respiratory infections and even, sometimes, lower respiratory issues such as pneumonia and asthma flare-ups.
The province is said to be placed under a temporary lockdown to try and curb the outbreak. According to Munsif Daily the virus – initially believed to be a “mystery” but now confirmed as being discovered in 2001 – has particularly spiked in there.
Following this, authorities took measures to halt education in classrooms after 30 children fell ill. Union Health Minister JP Nadda stated about the triple HMPV incidences: “HMPV spreads through air, by way of respiration. This can affect persons of all age groups. The virus spreads more during the winter and the early spring months.”
HMPV, first identified in 2001, belongs to the same family as measles and mumps. Despite its formal discovery in 2001, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believe the virus has been widespread since at least the mid-1950s. However, there seems to be a particularly sharp spike in cases in China recently.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
